Trabzonspor appear to be leading the race to sign Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana after the latest update from Turkey emerged today.
An Unsafe Pair of Hands
This season, 29-year-old Onana has been forced to the bench as Ruben Amorim has mercilessly replaced the Cameroonian in his starting lineup.
Altay Bayindir, a Turkey international, has started all three of United’s Premier League opening games. Onana made his only debut in the Carabao Cup encounter against Grimsby Town.
And it was a game that showed precisely
why Onana nearly single-handedly assisted the League Two team in handily defeating the Red Devils in a penalty shootout, which is why Amorim made this move.
However, this performance is not isolated; on the contrary, it is far from it.
Since his £47.4 million acquisition from Inter Milan in 2023 to replace longtime mainstay David De Gea, Onana has been a continual source of frustration due to his unexplainable mistakes.
He has occasionally displayed periods of exceptional play, but a defensive unit cannot be constructed on this Jekyll and Hyde strategy. Any great goalie must possess stability, while Onana exemplifies instability in every way.
But Bayindir hasn’t exactly appeared more stable since Onana left. With a terrible mistake on the first weekend of the season, the former Fenerbahce goalkeeper gave Arsenal all three points, and he played a shaky game against Burnley and Fulham after that.
Due to this combination—two Mr. Hydes instead of a friendly Dr. Jekyll—United managed to make a last-minute raid to acquire Senne Lammens, the highly regarded Belgium U-21 international goalkeeper who had some of the greatest underlying statistics in Europe’s major leagues the previous season, from Royal Antwerp.
Onana, who was regarded as one of the greatest players in Europe at Inter Milan two years ago, has fallen to third place at Old Trafford as a result of Lammen’s arrival and Amorim’s preference for Bayindir.
An exit is still possible
Throughout the summer, Onana’s intention was to remain at the Theatre of Dreams and fight for his place.
However, things have changed rapidly, and players are now placing an even greater value on playing time on the field in anticipation of the World Cup next summer and the African Cup of Nations in the winter.
Earlier in the summer, Onana was linked to a move to the Saudi Pro League, and other Turkish clubs have also shown interest. Although the deadline in England is September 1, the transfer markets are still active in both nations.
Additionally, it seems that Trabzonspor is determined to sign Onana before Turkey’s transfer window closes the following week.
After selling Uğurcan Çakır to Galatasaray last week, the Black Sea Storm, who are presently ranked second in the Super Lig, were given the opportunity to sign the Cameroon international, and negotiations are already underway.
Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu now reveals Trabzonspor have “increased its offer” for Onana.
Translated Tweet: “Trabzonspor has increased its offer for Andre Onana, who wears the Manchester United jersey!”
The transfer market in Turkey closes on Friday, giving United six more days to strike a deal for a player whose future at Old Trafford appears to be over, whether he chooses to accept it or not.
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